The ninetythird week of the pandemic

In the last 8 days quite a few of the things I moaned about in my last post have been resolved. I had a discussion over e-mail with Heino in Holland about internet speeds and equipment prior to their arrival next Monday. They have solved their own problem by planning to buy a Vodafone SIM card once they landed and also buying half a gigabyte of data. That way they should have net access until they go home about 2 weeks later. I also decided to change from Digi to Vodafone, as several people in the village told me that they have it and it is quite fast and reliable.

This, of course, caused us quite a lot of headaches in how to connect the TV up, what's going to happen to the Sky box, etc. The final decision is as this: we are going to keep the Sky box where it is, attached to the old TV, which is staying in the lounge. We are going to move back upstairs to sleep, starting with my bed, which will create space in the Office/Library for placing a new TV set. We will also bring down one of the double beds, which is really a sofa in the top front room, and place it at the opposite wall from the TV. I have ordered the Vodafone package by telephone and they will install it on 10th January. By then we will have had to do all the moving of furniture, removing clutter etc., etc. for the cable to come in and things get connected up.

Another good bit of news was that the three things we have been awaiting for, have all turned up. Immediately after I posted last week, the post brought an envelope from the heart hospital in BP with the CD of my coronary CT and the evaluation. My Latin is not too good, but I don't think they have found anything too drastic. I have an appointment with the cardiologist in BP on 4th January, so all will be revealed then.

My cardiologist

Roy's dental CT we already have had a CD for, as they have given it to us while still there, but we were awaiting a  call from Roy's dentist to tell us what the CT found and when we need to make an appointment to go and see him for carrying on with the works. I had to call the surgery twice before I had any joy, confirming my displeasure at his new dentist and, to be honest, with the entire outfit. Somehow, since Vivien left, nothing is the same any more. Well, finally yesterday he called back, (needless to say at the most inconvenient time, while we were in the government offices dealing with the issue of Roy's ID card, (more about this later!), and  confirmed that Roy's jaw bone has healed perfectly and the two implants can go in. His appointment is for the 11th, as unforunately he has no more free appointments left the previous week, when we could have combined it with my visit to the cardiologist. Do you get where my feelings of unease with this new dentist come from? Somehow nothing is straightforward, convenient or timely with him.

Roy's dentist

And finally we resolved the issue of the ID as well. The lady, who was dealing with us a few weeks back said that it will take about one week. Unfortunately I forgot to ask how we are going to receive it? Will it be delivered to their office in Pásztó and we will have to go in to fetch it, or by post? If the latter, where? In BP or in Bér? So when more than 2 weeks went past, I rang the office. I could only do that, because the lovely lady rang us about this once and I made sure that I saved her phone number. I even knew her name, because she also sent me an e-mail once, which she signed, so I could ask for her personally. Unfortunately, she was on holiday, but the lady answering the phone was equally lovely and she asked for the reference number which I gave her. It turned out that the ID card has been there for some time now, I suppose the reason for not receiving either a phone call or an e-mail about that was caused by the other lady being on holiday. I told her that we would go in and fetch it the following day.

Hawfinch

Hawfinch and great tit

So, for the reason of having to fetch the ID card, as well as the need to do some more food shopping before Christmas, we went to Pásztó yesterday. Roy seems to think that once we go somewhere, we have to do all sorts of things as if to justify going there. I, on the other hand, would have been perfectly happy just to go to the Government Window for his ID card and to SPAR for groceries. Still, it was useful to shop elsewhere as well, although that household equipment shop must by now think we are making it all up and will never shop there anyway. I think it would be nice to buy the new cooker and TV there, partly because of the closeness keeping down the delivery charge, partly because I like to support local businesses. So a numbered list of where we went and what we did is available to read here:

Pásztó Council building

Item no. 1: buy another large sack of sunflower seeds for the wild birds – shop closed

Item no. 2: visit the Government Window to fetch Roy’s ID card – SUCCESS!! Once there, I met up with yet another delightful, helpful and kind lady on the other side of the counter, who then advised us on a variety of other matters:

a) She put my BP address onto my address card, as it has expired

b) She told us the ins and outs of applying for Hungarian nationality and getting a passport, which Roy is thinking about doing. I am not so sure, we have just had a bellyful of bureaucracy to fight with, perhaps after a rest from them. She did print all the information and application forms for us though, so we have it, should we go for it.

Item no. 3: hardware shop for chainsaw lubricating oil – tick

Item no. 4: Pharmacy for ear drops – tick

Item no. 5: computer shop for another adapter for my headphones – tick

Item no. 6: household electrical goods shop to look at TVs and cookers: - tick

Still no sign of cooker, but we had a good look at TVs. We’ll be back in January.

It was a reasonably successful trip, but I will not go shopping 4 days before Christmas again in a hurry.

 

Other than our trip into Pásztó we didn't go anywhere else in the last 8 days. Time, as usual, was mostly spent either reading or on the computer. I am a great fan of Lynda la Plante, but I thought that I read all of the books I have from her on my shelves. Well, that might not be the case, although the fact that I have no memory of having ever read Entwined is no proof of that. Nowadays I have memory troubles, so perhaps I have, just having no recollection of it. Anyway, it is a weird story. Totally different from anything I have ever read from her. Two women, one a lion tamer in a circus, another married to a baron and going insane, have something in common, which hasn't turned up in the book yet, but I have a good idea what it is. Quite criminal, hard, dangerous and insane the atmosphere in it, but I am enjoying it, so I will let you know once I finished it, what I really think of it.

 

Charlotte Le Bon as Marguerite

Television was mostly Netflix, other than my usual stuff. I also came across a picture, The Hundred-Foot Journey, that I saw some years back, but was worth watching again. It was heartwarming, but still with some social comment and reality with a happy ending, which in my current state of psyche is most welcome. For some weird reason Roy can watch the BBC on his computer, so he is now heavily into catching up on the last 2 or 3 seasons of Who Do You Think You Are. He even learnt how to get the VPN up and then iPlayer and then pleasure follows.

 

The gorgeous Bradley Cooper in Burnt

My recent pleasures included Burnt and Father Christmas is Back on Netflix. Both films were very enjoyable. The first had Gordon Ramsey amongst the adviser/producers, so you can imagine what it was about. A rude chef. The second was a typical piece of Christmas schmaltz, but enjoyable all the same. I also managed to catch the last two episodes of Jack Whitehall travelling with his father, this time in the UK on account of the pandemic and his 81 years of age. Absolutely brilliant that grumpy old man, he was just such a fantastic stooge for Jack Whitehall, shame they haven't discovered this double act until about 10 years ago, but at least we did get that much fun out of them since.

 

Father Christmas is back

One of the moans last week was about the pálinka mash, but I am happy to report that it went to the still on Saturday. It is not back yet, but it is probably queueing at the distillers, as he is the best one in the area, for a large number of miles.

 

Alex and Meaghan 33rd and 34th in the queue

Family news included a report that Alex and Meaghan got their booster shots, albeit after several hours of queueing outside in the Canadian winter. Of all our family, I think they are the best vaccinated lot, although by now Roy and I both had 3 each, so we can't complain. It is an interesting topic whether Covid jabs will become like flu jabs, i. e. to be given yearly? And one or two doses? I read somewhere that Pfizer is already working on an Omicron version of its jab, which should be available by March. Are we going to get some of that too? In many ways I am glad that the pharmaceutical industry has been and still is this fast and good about producing the vaccines. On the other hand, I am outraged at the profiteering they do, by seriously overpricing it, even those that have had state and/or private sponsorship, and the fact that they are very reluctant to supply the Third World, precisely because they can't afford their prices. Russia and China have been better about the Third World, but Big Pharma has been appalling.

 

Flames in the stove

And the last item to let you know about is the big stove, which has been working now for a few weeks. You may recall that the inside of it is so laden with tar that the guy who came to clean and maintain it in the spring suggested a substance called KONIX to use to get the tar off. After some searching I managed to order 5 kilos of it and as I wanted to use it now that the fire is going, I read the instructions. Having read what chemicals are in it, I decided not to use it, as it might have poisoned poor Roy, who sleeps in the same room at the moment. Happily, once we are both upstairs in our own bedroom, hopefully I should be able to start using KONIX overnight.

By for now, hope your festive season is pleasant and sickness free, have a good one, and the next post is now going to be after Christmas.